The Shaved Duck

So Andy and I went to The Shaved Duck the other day…and yes, that’s actually the name of the restaurant! It located in the Tower Grove neighborhood in St. Louis, MO.

As you may (or may not) imagine, The Shaved Duck is mostly a BBQ joint, but on the upscale side? That’s not to say that anything was expensive – actually, it was quite reasonable! But the atmosphere is a lot different than what you might be used to at a barbecue place. It was nice, chic, warm, and inviting.

When we arrived, our server was SO nice! Sweet and bubbly, but not annoyingly so. It was very refreshing. She quickly went over the specials of the day: two orders of chicken wings for the price of one, $3 draft beers, and half off smothered fries.

She had me with ‘smothered fries’. It sounded like a pretty good appetizer – pulled rib meat over crispy, hand cut fries, smothered in cheese sauce. MMM!

The fries were just as good as they looked. The rib meat was juicy and tender, the fries were hot and crispy, and the sauce was rich and creamy! I’m drooling just thinking about it.

After we snapped out of our post-french fry food coma, it was time to order our entrees. I went with the duck and blue cheese flatbread. House made flatbread topped with tomato, spinach, a sweet bourbon drizzle, and duck (of course!).

It. Was. Perfect.

The flatbread was thin, buttery, and crispy. The duck meat was tender and flavorful. The bleu cheese was creamy and light. And the sweet bourbon drizzle was PERFECT! It brought everything together in the most wonderful way. I inhaled every single piece.

Andy ordered the beef brisket sandwich with a side of macaroni and cheese. I was too busy enjoying my flatbread to take a picture of his food, but I really wish I would have! I’m not a huge brisket fan, but this was AMAAAAZING. Tender and juicy (that seems to be the theme of the night here!) meat hugged by the softest croissant roll EVER. Topped with sweet and smoky BBQ sauce, this absolutely knocked my SOCKS off.

The mac and cheese he ordered as a side was good, too. Thick gooey cheese wrapped around little shells of HEAVEN. Yes, I’m being overly dramatic, but this was SO. GOOD. Why didn’t I take pictures?!?! I’m kicking myself now.

After our meal, we were so stuffed that we could have rolled home. But when the waitress mentioned that bread pudding was on the dessert menu, I HAD to order some! And I’m so glad I did…

There’s no description of the dessert on the site’s menu, so I’m going from memory here. I think it was an almond brioche bread pudding with an amaretto sauce. It tasted a little like a cinnamon roll and a LOT like heaven. Oh, it just melted in my mouth, it was so good.

Time for scores!

Food: 5 stars (out of five)

Ambiance: 4 stars

Service: 5 stars

Value: 5 stars

Needless to say, I’ll definitely make a return visit to the Duck. I want to explore more of their menu! Please, if you’re in St. Louis, don’t pass up this little gem. It’s absolutely AMAZING!